Navigation de plaisance

The yacht year is a migration. The fleet winters in the Caribbean, where the St. Barths Bucket in March and the Antigua regattas in April close the season; crosses the Atlantic in May; races and cruises the Mediterranean from the Giraglia in June to the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup at Porto Cervo in September; gathers for the Cannes Yachting Festival and the Monaco Yacht Show in late September; races Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez; and then goes west again for Fort Lauderdale's boat show in late October, the Antigua Charter Yacht Show in December and New Year in Gustavia. The America's Cup, when it happens, and the Sydney Hobart on Boxing Day sit outside the loop.

The events are of two kinds. Regattas are racing, largely private on the water but very public on the quays. Shows are trade fairs with public days, and the Monaco Yacht Show is as much a social week as a sales one. Either way the destination changes for the duration — berths, tables and rooms go months ahead.